National parks, including Colorado's, face cuts from 'fiscal cliff'

The view of Longs Peak from the front porch of the William Allen White cabin in the Rocky Mountain National Park. National Parks could take a hit from the fiscal cliff negotiations. (THE DENVER POST | file)

National park service leaders are scrambling to find at least an 8 percent cut in spending should Congress fail to reach a decision on the so-called fiscal cliff. Colorado, home to 17 national park service properties that draw 5.8 million visitors a year and support 6,300 jobs, could see cuts that impact the state's vibrant tourism industry.

"Supervisors are more than concerned. They are developing different scenarios and all are grim," said David Nimkin, director of the southwest regional office for the National Parks Conservation Association, which has long advocated for increased park funding.

"There's no specific outline of what the cuts would entail, but everyone anticipates curtailment of hours for visitors centers, curtailment of the number of rangers, cuts in research at the parks, fewer personnel for protection of cultural resources and artifacts," he said. "That's not including delayed spending on critical infrastructure needs."

The agency has identified $3 billion in critical sewer, roads and other projects at its 398 park units across the country, Nimkin said. The agency lists $11 billion in maintenance and infrastructure costs. Those projects will be delayed indefinitely if the agency follows through with proposed budget cuts.

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Delayed investment coupled with limited hours and personnel could tarnish Colorado's most treasured tourism draws. National parks like Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes and Rocky Mountain help draw 5.8 million annual visitors who spend $292.7 million, according to agency estimates. The smaller units — like Colorado's 1,415 Historic Places and 22 National Historic Landmarks — play an equally important role in the state's ability to draw visitors. Colorado ranks among the top 13 states for visitor numbers and spending.

Towns like Durango and Estes Park rely heavily on those national park visitors. Tourism boosters there are watching federal budget negotiations and how those might impact visitation.

"We have seen a really big increase in heritage and cultural tourism lately," said Anne Klein with the Durango Area Tourism Office, which counts Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado's only UNESCO World Heritage Site - as a key draw. "We do have a lot of visitors come primarily for Mesa Verde. A lot of international visitors, too. If there are cuts and they are pretty dramatic, it could effect us. We are in a wait-and-see mode, just waiting on the edge of the cliff."

Rocky Mountain National Park hosts around 3 million visitors a year, making it the busiest agency unit in the state. The park sees modest annual increases in its operating budget, climbing from $11.3 million in 2007 to $12.5 million in 2012. The park's gateway, Estes Park, has seen its sales tax revenue for July — the park's busiest month with as many as 700,000 visitors - climb from $1.2 million to $1.4 million in the same period.

"We've been working as has the park service to be more efficient and more productive but there is only so much you can do before you begin to cut away at the bone and the structure of the parks themselves," he said.

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